


Roadtrip to Nowhere.

by Flying_Blackbird



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, FrostIron - Freeform, How Do I Tag, Hurt Loki, Hurt Tony, Loki Feels, Loki Needs a Hug, M/M, My First AO3 Post, So Bear With me, So much angst, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony and Loki go on a roadtrip, and the rest i just make up as i go, but i know northern mythology, i don't know the comics, lots of feels in general
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2018-08-23 07:02:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8318377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flying_Blackbird/pseuds/Flying_Blackbird
Summary: The Chitauri won. Earth lost. Tony is apparently the only person immune to mind control, and Loki sees him as his only chance to save the universe he lives in. Because not even Loki loves chaos that much, and he certainly doesn't want Thanos to win. That sure as hell doesn't make him a good person, but neither is Tony, and maybe they're not all that different after all.





	1. It had to be you

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I'm not new to fanfiction, but this is my first english one, so please be gentle. I'm frostiron trash and hate slow build as much as I love it. Oh, and whump. Apparently. Enjoy!

New York was in ruins.

Giant Chitauri whales were drifting through the sky, tails drooping, almost lazy now that there was nothing left to destroy. The portal was still open, a huge gaping black hole in the ironically flawless blue sky. Stark Tower still stood, among some smaller skyscrapers, smoking faintly, the letters fallen off, shattered on the ground below. Everything was covered in the same dust and rubble, painting the city the grayish brown colour of ash.

Still, there was movement, a figure entering the Tower, slowly, staggering every few steps. A bloodied hand was raised to push the elevator button, which miraculously still worked. The gentle swooshing noise of the automatic doors opening seemed out of place, too familiar in a world where nothing would ever be the same again.

And yet, something else was familiar too, Tony Stark thought while staring at his own pale face in the mirror after entering the elevator. As always, he was the one to survive, the one to somehow make it. He, who undoubtedly deserved it the least.

Captain America - missing.

Banner - missing.

Pepper, Agent Barton, Agent Romanoff, under mind control, brought by the Chitauri to wherever that portal led.

Thor? Probably not even on the planet.

Earth lost the war, two days ago. More Chitauri had swarmed through the portal, spreading over the earth, killing and kidnapping and destroying everyone and everything. Tony had held out for now, by sheer luck, but he knew they were coming for him.

He drew a deep breath, which turned out harder than anticipated regarding that he hadn’t drunk anything for a good sixty hours, and stepped out of the elevator. The lights were off, so only the reactor dimly lit the room from inside his chest under the torn shirt. He was about to address Jarvis when the AI spoke up by himself, but before he could utter more than a warning „Sir-“ , something _slammed_ into Tony, something armored, and before he had the time to recognise the attacker as of chitauri origin, a well-aimed blow to his head made him blackout.

 

He woke up because he got kicked and prodded and tugged - by chains around his wrists and hips - until he was kneeling, blinking to make the blur fade from his vision, groaning in pain at his headache which had worsened from dehydration to a possible concussion.

At first glance, the ground looked like he might still be in New York, covered in dust and pebbles, but as he looked up he realised that he’d never been farther away from home. The sky was a deep, deep purple, covered in unfamiliar stars which occasionally vanished behind the huge bodies of the whale-like creatures Tony had almost grown accustomed to by now.

Tony shivered and shifted his weight, slowly taking in the rest of his surroundings: Nothing but stones and dust for miles, the rocks becoming larger in the distance, forming a mountain range. A small village surrounded a larger building, which looked like a Tim Burton-esque version of a palace, out of place among the unadorned Chitauri huts.

And then there were the humans, of course, a few hundred maybe, chained like Tony, connected by the hips, and others, walking around with blank ice blue eyes or struggling while being pushed forward by Chitauri soldiers to share their fate.

He couldn’t see the portal because it was in his back, but he heard the sounds coming from it, droning, gloomy noises which reminded him of being under water. And he didn’t want his mind to stray in _that_ particular direction, so he focused on the situation at hand. It looked like he’d been put on something like a slave market, with Chitauri soldiers occasionally picking someone from the rows of humans, separating their chain from the others and dragging them away. 

Tony closed his eyes as a particularly nasty wave of pain mixed with overwhelming despair caused his stomach to twist, but he quickly opened them again at the only thing which could make this whole situation even more heartbreaking: A child, screaming for its mother.

„Please!“

Tony turned his head as the mother answered, a young, latin woman currently being dragged away from her toddler, crying and begging just as much as her daughter and actually fighting back with the strength only a mother possessed.

„Mama!“

Tony’s heart clenched and he somehow managed to get on his feet, shouting angrily. „Leave her be!“ He tugged on his restraints even though it was futile, glaring at the chitauri guard, who narrowed his eyes at him. He was relatively certain the chitauri didn’t speak english, but the fury on his face should be obvious enough. And the guard actually let the woman go, but Tony didn’t witness her grateful sob, neither her pulling her child close anymore, because - _WHACK!_

 

And once again, the world was a blur.

Tony groaned, keeping his eyes closed because everything hurt and even the small movement of his eyelids would probably make things worse. He heard mother and child, still crying, but still together for now. Then some chitauri language. whoever spoke sounded angry, but then again they always did, so there was no way to tell.

The next thing he heard, though, made Tony’s blood run cold:

„No, wait. _I’m_ taking this one.“

The smoothness of the voice, the faint accent, the way in which its owner didn’t have to raise it to radiate authority - Tony would recognise it anywhere. He blinked, and sure enough, something black and green and gold stood before him, and as his vision cleared, hatred and terror filled his mind, strengthening him enough to push himself onto his knees again.

_„Loki.“_


	2. Far away from home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends! I was delighted to see all the kudos pop up over night. Thank y'all! The chapters will probably stay short, but I'll update more often this way. ;) Enjoy!

Loki had stepped in between the Chitauri guard and Tony, stopping the guard's spear with his forearm. "Don't damage it."

 _It?!_ Tony grit his teeth and glanced up at Thor's brother, putting as much fury into his glare as he could muster. Loki however simply ignored him, busy with his own staredown with the guard, and stretched out his hand. "Hand it over."

Dread filled Tony's stomach as his situation dawned on him: He was handed over to Loki, as his personal slave or whatever, to _Loki_ who had thrown him out of his own window, who had killed Coulson and countless others, who was definitely more dangerous than any Chitauri that might have picked him instead. Just his typical luck, then. "No.", he managed, keeping his voice steady even though every word he said worsened his headache. "No, I'm not going with you, don't you fucking touch me!" 

Of course no one listened to him, and so his chains were separated from the others and handed to Loki. The trickster immediately tugged on them, not giving away in the slightest that he knew who Tony was, so that even the engineer briefly wondered whether he had recognized him at all.

He stopped struggling when he noticed Loki was heading for the palace, which he now recognized as one of the motherships, reconstructed and redecorated. Not quite Tony’s taste. The palace was as dim and cold as the outside, and Tony shivered while he was led past several hallways which all looked the same to him. Never before had he been to such a depressing place, and he’d woken up in interesting places before.

After a small eternity, Loki stopped in front of a door that was an exact copy of all the others: plain, dark and made of the foreign metal the chitauri wore for armor. Loki opened the door and Tony got pushed inside, stumbling and almost falling before Loki yanked him upright and pulled the chain through a metal loop in the wall, fastening it at a length that made it still possible for Tony to stand. Then he closed the door behind him and let out a small sigh.

 

Tony angrily tugged at his bonds, before letting his shoulders fall in resignation. He would have snapped something at the trickster, but he already grit his teeth to keep them from clattering. The room was small, looking much like a cell except for the bed which seemed fairly comfortable. A small desk stood by the wall, next to a wardrobe which looked like Loki had magicked it in here. Tony immediately missed his Tower even more, his bots, Jarvis, _Pepper_ …

His thoughts were interrupted by Loki’s quiet voice. „So“, his captor said, folding his hands behind his back, „I believe introductions aren’t necessary. You will stay with me and do as I say, and in return you won’t be slaughtered. A much better fate than a lot of others get.“

Tony scoffed. „Yeah, no. Not gonna happen.“ the chains were heavy and he was so, so tired, but he wouldn’t give Loki the satisfaction to sit down. He squared his shoulders and returned his enemy’s gaze defiantly. 

Loki snarled and took a step towards him. „From what I’ve heard and seen from you, you didn’t seem to be so _dumb_.“ Another step, and Tony flinched as Loki grabbed a handful of his hair and leaned in closely, lowering his voice to a sharp hiss. „ _Kneel before your Master_.“

Tony struggled against the unwelcome touch, noticing how strong the other was. He might not be as broad and muscular as Thor, but his strength was still superhuman.

Loki put his other hand on Tony’s shoulder and pushed him down, and Tony obliged when another wave of pain hit, sinking to his knees. As soon as his hair was released he raised his head, death glare back in place. „Anything else, _Master_?“, he said, balancing between hatred and mockery.

Something shifted in Loki’s face and he hesitated, looking down on Tony. He took a step back and turned away. „I will fetch some food and clothes for you although you didn’t do much to deserve them.“, he said curtly. „no one should enter this room without permission, so if someone does, I expect you to fight back. They might promise you things, but don’t go with them.“ The look he gave Tony over his shoulder was dead serious.

Tony took a deep breath just to keep himself sane. „And how should I fight back when I am still chained?“

„The chain is long enough.“, Loki retorted before leaving the room. Screams were heard from down the hallway as the door opened, and Tony could see how Loki’s back straightened and his jaw set before he left.

And Tony was alone, far away from home, out of plans, out of hope and out of motivation, enslaved, surrounded by enemies. He settled into a somewhat comfortable position with his back against the wall, waiting for his anxiety to stop flipping his stomach, and tried his hardest not to cry.

 


	3. Why are you here?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki behaves unusual, and Tony starts wondering why that is.

Now that he had time to think, everything that had happened came crashing down on Tony. He’d been too exhausted and in too much pain to fully register what had happened, feeling like he was watching everything through someone else’s eyes. Two days ago, he’d flown a bomb into a wormhole. Two days ago, he’d almost died. Two days ago, he’d stood on shaky legs on the streets of New York with the rest of the Avengers in his battered armor, staring in horror at the sky being opened anew for an _armada_ of Chitauri. Realising that his sacrifice had been for naught, that there was more than one ship, an entire _race_ , that they stood no chance, that earth was lost. He’d witnessed the Hulk lose a fight for the first time, because not even a huge green rage monster could face an entire population of aliens and win.

He’d managed to go into hiding with Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff, planning to regroup and find a solution. 

But then the chitauri foot soldiers had found them, and Tony had proven for the second time that he was immune to mind control. Barton and Romanoff, however, weren’t so lucky. Tony had fought with all he’d had left to keep them from taking the agents with them, until Romanoff, now with eerily distant eyes, had managed to knock him out with a gun handle.

By the time he’d woken up, he’d been alone.

Just like he was now.

 

He flinched when someone, somewhere, screamed so loud that it could be heard through the walls. He prayed that it was no one he knew, and then felt horrible because of it. Eventually, foot steps told him that Loki was returning, and he used the few moments he had left to assess the demigod. So far, he hadn’t actually hurt him, and he was even getting clothes and food for him, so he must be planning for him to survive for a while. He’d also spoken a lot more normal than during their encounter in the tower, without the grin and the manic gleam in his eyes. Still the bastard behaved like a complete dick towards him and he wasn’t going to be grateful for what he was about to receive. The ten rings had supplied him and Yinsen with food and even let them keep the backgammon game, that didn’t change the fact that they tortured him into submission and were going to kill him as soon as they had no use for him anymore.

 

Just as Tony finished that last grim thought, the door opened and Loki entered. He ignored Tony while he closed the door and walked over to the bed, putting the supplies down. And, yeah, Tony wasn’t having that. „So what’s the plan?“, he asked. „Didn’t you want to rule earth or something? Seeing as it is currently being reduced to dust, I guess that’s not going to happen.“ He watched Loki’s reaction closely, so the minor tremble that went through his enemy at his words didn’t escape him. Interesting, Tony mused. Something’s definitely not working in his favour.

When the demigod turned around, nothing about his expression betrayed what he was thinking. He walked over to Tony and opened his handcuffs so he was now only attached to the wall by the chain on his hip. „Get dressed.“, he ordered and tossed the clothes at him. Tony was surprised by the choice of clothes which consisted of a pair of jeans and a black hoodie. The thick layer of cotton would cover the light from the reactor completely, and Tony wondered briefly whether Loki had that in mind while choosing it. Maybe he didn’t want him to attract attention, and Tony wasn’t arguing with that.

He ignored how his knees protested when he got up, a pain different from the injuries he’d collected during the battle. _I’m getting too old for this shit._

He glanced up at Loki, apparently not as good as hiding how tense he was in his presence as he thought he was, because the trickster rolled his eyes and turned away. 

He got changed quickly and relaxed his muscles a fraction now that he wasn’t freezing anymore.

„And eat something.“, Loki said, tossing the piece of bread he’d brought in Tony’s direction without even looking. He caught it, trying to keep himself from wolfing it down in one go. He ate in silence with a strange feeling of emptiness in his mind because not a single witty remark came to him. Their brief conversation at the tower had been different, a challenge on a verbal level instead of the fighting ground, and Tony had strangely enjoyed it. Well, that was until he’d been thrown out of the window.

 

Loki sat down on the bed, observing him, and yeah that wasn’t creepy at all. _Like what you see?_ The quip sat on Tony’s tongue, but he didn’t say it. „So what now?“, he asked instead, once he was finished.

His enemy heaved a sigh. „Now we should-“ he got interrupted by a heavy knock on the door, followed by it being opened by a chitauri guard. He barked something in that weird angry language, and Loki answered, looking as tense as Tony felt. _Apparently neither of us like these guys very much_ , he thought. The foreign tongue sounded weird coming from Loki, all soft- and smoothness gone from his voice. 

For the first time, Tony took a closer look at Loki.

The demigod looked worse than when he’d first seen him, pale and gaunt with dark shadows under his eyes. His hair was still slicked back, but not as neatly as during their last encounter, with a few strands falling into his face. The way he acted around the chitauri made Tony assume that he wasn’t their leader anymore, but if he was neither a prisoner nor a general, then what was he doing here? 

When the chitauri left, Loki turned towards Tony and fixed his chains. „What’s going on, where are you going?“, he inquired, but apparently wasn’t deemed worthy of an answer. Loki seemed too occupied with his own thoughts, and Tony let out a frustrated huff as he was, once again, left alone.


	4. Do as I say

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki returns with news. Tony has his first panic attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!   
> I feel sorry for Tony. I swear I love him.  
> Enjoy!

Even with the pullover, Tony was freezing. he eyed the blanket on the bed longingly, but the chain was too short for him to reach it. He ran a hand through his hair and winced at how filthy it felt, even though he was used to oil and grime from working days on end in his workshop without stopping for a shower.

In the tower, in his workshop, he was in his element. He could do what ever the hell he pleased to, and if he wanted a shower he’d take one, but usually there were more interesting projects at hand. Now, however, it was gnawing at his pride to be covered in sweat, dirt and dried blood - not just his own - while Loki walked around dressed in his flawless armour.

He wiped his hand on the pullover and sat back down with a huff, just as soft footsteps outside told him that Loki was returning already. Sighing, he raised his head from where he’d rested it on his knees, deciding to get the rest he didn’t have in the last months, and looked up as the demigod entered.

Loki seemed possibly even tenser than before he’d gone, opening the door just wide enough to step inside and closing it immediately. He avoided looking at Tony and started pacing the room. What had made him so agitated? And would he take it out on his prisoner? 

Finally, Loki stopped his walking and stood in the opposite corner of the room, picking at the end of his sleeve. Tony remembered how the Black Widow always chose what she wanted others to see, and considered briefly whether Loki was playing a game or just too exhausted to keep up the facade. 

Then he spoke up. „Your world is nothing but debris and dust. It’s a picture of destruction. They drag less and less prisoners out from under the rubble.“

Tony glared at him. „I know, I’ve been _there_.“, he growled. „And I’m looking at the one who’s at fault. Do you enjoy yourself?“

For the first time, Loki caught his eyes. And Tony was taken aback by what he found in those green depths. Loki looked… _lost_. Just for a brief second, until he blinked and the walls shifted back into place. He wasn’t fooling anyone, at least not Tony Stark, who’d been playing a role his whole life until he believed it himself. _Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist._

„There is no fault.“, Loki retorted. „Only a winning and a losing side.“

Tony _laughed_ , a mangled, bitter thing that sounded all wrong.

„No.“, he said coldly. „ _You_ are at fault, Reindeer Games. _You_ brought the Chitauri to earth, it is your fault that the _entire human race is forced into slavery_ and it is _your goddamn fault_ that earth is destroyed! Don’t you even have the dignity to account for it?“ he was almost shouting the last sentence, breathing heavily for a moment. It felt so _good_ to yell at someone, to blame someone else than himself, to get it all out, the pain, the fear, the desperation.

Earth was just a rock falling through space, his friends scattered into the winds, and, oh, Loki was towering over him all of a sudden. And yeah, he was tall.

„Mind your place.“, the demigod hissed, baring his teeth, looking feral.

Like hell he would. Tony stood up as well, facing his enemy with rage boiling up inside of him, fueling him, and he gave into it because it was liberating. „I hope the same will happen to your home and the people you love.“, he said quietly. „I hope you’ll never be safe wherever you go, I hope everyone you ever wronged gets to take their revenge out on you and you can bet that i will be one of them.“

Loki paused momentarily, before a wide grin spread across his face and he breathed a laugh, gone as fast as it had appeared. „You’re pretty angry for someone who should try to please me for his own sake.“, he commented and strode towards Tony with slow, smooth steps. Tony felt reminded of a cat stalking towards its prey. 

„I’m known to be impulsive and that won’t change because some would-be-conqueror from outer space thinks that he can own me.“, he said grimly, hiding his fear. 

„Well.“ Loki stopped directly in front of him, crossing his arms. „I’ll be very open with you. Tomorrow, I will have to show you to Thanos. And you can either play along or make everything worse for yourself.“

Tony’s stomach felt as if he’d missed a step going downstairs. Thanos? Of course he knew that name by now, all humans did. He squinted. „What do you mean?“

His head was snapped to one side as Loki slapped him, hard, across the face. He gasped and grit his teeth as his headache flared up anew. „Don’t question me, don’t speak out of turn, be obedient, respectful and humble.“ Loki’s hissed words barely registered as Tony automatically raised a hand to his burning cheek, taken by surprise. „What the fuck was that for?“

Loki’s smile was barely there, just a threatening upward curl of his lips. „I have all the time in the world to break you and turn you into this, but for tomorrow it would be easier to just control your mind.“ he frowned. „If it weren’t for that thing in your chest.“

His hand shot forward, closing around the hem of the pullover, and Tony’s heart leapt into his throat. „No!“, he shouted, raising both arms and crossing them defensively in front of his chest. He got ready to throw a punch as Loki raised his eyebrows before he smirked. „Now that is interesting.“

His voice was soft as silk while he grabbed Tony’s wrists strong enough to bruise them, forcing them away from the reactor. Tony struggled with everything he had left while panic engulfed him, kicking and shouting desperately. „No, stop it you bastard, you can’t take it, don’t _fucking touch me!“_ He coughed as his back was slammed into the wall and Loki stepped in between his legs with one foot, pressing him against the metal behind him. „Shut up or I’ll gag you.“ Loki looked like he meant it, staring at Tony inches away from his face, way too close - Tony stilled. Somewhere in his mind he was aware that he was still looking at Loki, but he saw right through him. _What is happening? Did he poison me?_ He heard nothing but his own heartbeat and breathing, way too fast, and suddenly he wasn’t freezing anymore but felt way too hot and shaking and everything was all wrong and he shouldn't be here _he shouldn't be here he shouldn't_ \- it was easy for Loki to push him to his knees and following him to be eye-level.

„Will you do as I say?“ 

Tony had trouble making sense of the words but eventually, he nodded. Loki's hand, now on his shoulder, tightened its grip and Tony actually _whimpered,_ terrified. He just wanted to get away from the touch, from the stare, from Loki, but he found it difficult to move. "Say it.", Loki hissed, showing no mercy. Tony closed his eyes and sucked in a few more too short and too fast breaths, the words barely audible as he forced them out. "Yes. I will."

Then, finally, the grey at the rim of his vision rapidly grew darker and Tony felt Loki's hand being lifted from his shoulder before he passed out on the floor.


	5. The first night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Tony talk some more. Loki's ever-changing mood keeps a very confused Tony on his toes.

The first thing Tony noticed when he woke up was a green glow surrounding him, accompanied by a faint hum which he wasn’t sure was something he actually heard or rather something he felt.

He blinked and flinched when he saw Loki kneeling beside him, a hand lying on his shoulder surrounded in the same glow but more intense.

The hand was retracted immediately when Loki noticed he’d woken up, and the light vanished along with the hum. Tony missed the feeling as soon as it was gone. Then he recalled what had happened before he’d passed out, and he shuffled away from Loki as quickly as possible.

„What did you do to me?“, he hissed, glaring at his captor. Loki crossed his legs and put his hands on his knees, still looking exhausted and tense, no matter how relaxed he might be acting.

Ignoring Tony’s question, he said: „I will explain your duties to you now, and I will only explain them once, so listen closely.“ Green eyes caught Tony’s own, sharp and demanding. „Afterwards you should get some rest for the night, and tomorrow I will show you to Thanos.“ Tony bit his lip to refrain from commenting and nodded instead. _I do not look forward to that._

„Most prisoners have been enslaved and will be sent to Midgard again when they’ve been trained, to clean up the rubble and help with whatever comes up. They will also be trained in armed and unarmed combat  to fight alongside the Chitauri when we make our way to the next Realm.“ He used the little word ‚we‘ instead of ‚they‘, but he didn’t look any happier about the prospect than Tony felt.

Tony hadn’t spent a thought on the next step of the Chitauris’ plan, that they wouldn’t stop on earth but go further instead, using earth as a military base. His heart sank even deeper, something he had not thought possible.

Loki gave him some time to take in that new bit of information before continuing: „Leading figures have personal slaves, and you’re one of them. You will respect everyone, but only obey orders that come directly from me. The only ones standing above me are The Other and Thanos himself. You will do their bidding without a single sound of protest or sign of hesitation, and you will not look them in the eyes. If you recognise a fellow slave, don’t show it. You don’t have names anymore, your new name is whatever your Masters choose to call you.“

The more Loki spoke, the deeper Tony buried his fingernails into his palms. They could force him into slavery, chain him, starve him, torture him, even take away his name, but he was and always would be Anthony Edward Stark. No one could change who he was, not even a mad titan. „And what will be my new name?“, he asked bitterly, bracing himself for whichever way Loki would choose to humiliate him. What would he go for? A servant name? A pet name? Something ridiculous or insulting?

„I think I shall call you Anthony.“

Tony blinked, once again surprised. He’d never liked his full name, it sounded harsh and too serious, especially when Howard had said it. But Loki pronounced it differently, with a soft **th** instead of a sharp **t** , something that had never occurred to him before. 

Loki got up and extended his chain to its full length before taking the blanket from the bed and handing it to Tony. „My quarters are not made for a slave’s permanent stay.“, he explained. „I will do something about it when I’ve got the time.“ 

Tony wrapped the blanket around himself, glancing at Loki with a feeling of frustration. It was so hard to read him with his mind always doing these 180 degree turns. „Thanks, I guess.“, he mumbled, trying to get comfortable which was a lot easier now.

Loki shrugged. „I do not get cold. And I can’t have you freeze to death in your first night.“ he sat down on the bed and closed his eyes tightly as if fighting off a migraine. Tony decided to stay silent and try to get some sleep instead. He really hoped he wouldn’t have any nightmares and wake up screaming, he’d shown decidedly enough weakness for today.

He observed Loki as the demigod stretched out on the bed, raising his hands to his temples and massaging them with a sigh. _I hope he has a wicked headache._

Eventually, Tony dozed off. In his inevitable dream, he found himself back on earth, coughing and squinting to see through clouds of dust and smoke. Someone was calling his name, and he quickly recognised the voice as Pepper’s.

„ _Tony!_ Tony, please, _please! Help me!“_

„Pepper!“ he shouted, running through the smoke, barely seeing anything, _„Pepper!“_

He couldn’t lose her, he _couldn’t_ … then he saw her, in the grasp of two Chitauri soldiers who were about to drag her away. He raised his hand and fired a repulsor blast at them, but the gauntlet didn’t work. „No..come on..“, he said through gritted teeth, trying again. _System failure_ , Jarvis informed him. _I’m afraid I am shutting down_.

„ _No_ , Jarvis, come on buddy, don’t let me down like this, not now..“ but it was too late. His suit failed, and of course it was his fault when his own creation failed the moment he needed it the most.

_„TONY!“_

Pepper’s cry was heart-wrenching, but then something happened to her eyes. They turned crystal blue and cold and dry. _„Fine.“_ , she said, „I guess I’m better off without you anyway. You were never good for me.“

„No..“ he said her name again, a choked sob, then once more, and then he screamed. „NO!“

He sat up, heart slamming against his ribs as if it wanted to get out of his chest, and he struggled to breathe. After he’d somewhat calmed down he realised he’d woken Loki up. Great. He wiped his face with his sleeve before Loki could see the tear streaks on his cheeks and avoided looking in his direction. Things couldn’t get much more awkward. 

He could hear Loki shifting on the sheet and suppress a yawn, his voice low and drowsy. „Go back to sleep.“

Tony considered answering, but it was in that exact moment that someone knocked on the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yey for cliffhangers! My poor boys are tired and can't get any rest. Maybe next chapter? who knows..


	6. Play along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony is still not sure what to think of Loki, but in his head he changes from 'super scary' to 'annoying and slightly scary if he wants to.'

Tony decided that he definitely ought to learn the Chitauri language if he wanted to have even a slight idea of what the hell was going on around him. Again, Loki and the soldier who had entered the room exchanged words Tony couldn’t understand, and if there was one thing he hated, it was not understanding something and not having any possibility to change that.

After the soldier had left, Loki actually ran a hand over his face and pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment before getting up. The gesture made him look utterly human, and Tony quickly shoved that thought aside. What kind of problems Loki had was not something he was interested in. They could drag the demigod to the dungeons and let him accompany whoever those poor screaming bastards were for all he cared.

Loki looked at him for a while before he spoke up: „Go back to rest. I will fetch you in the morning.“ Tony nodded, wondering what it was that would keep the trickster away all night. 

 

He had no indication of how late it was when Loki returned, because even if the room had had a window he wasn’t sure he’d been able to distinguish between night and dawn. It didn’t get light in the chitauri realm, just slightly less dark. Tony had been staring off into space the whole time, unable to fall asleep, slowly coming to terms with the fact that he’d had a panic attack yesterday. He, of all people.

What surprised him was that Loki knocked before entering. Was it to wake him up so he wouldn’t come in while Tony was vulnerable? Was it just to wake him up? Tony couldn’t tell, but he was still relieved that he was given two precious seconds to sit up a little straighter.

The demigod was in an awful state, and Tony mused that he probably didn’t look any better. He didn’t comment on it, when in any other situation he would have, but right now he preferred to stay silent and look the other up and down. There were some more tears in his clothes, a few speckles of blood on his cheek and his hands were wet and reddish as if he’d scrubbed them. He wiped them on his trousers when he noticed Tony staring.

„We’ve got an hour or so until I bring you to Thanos.“, he said instead of an explanation. „Do you need a bathroom? There’s not really a bathroom here, but something that passes for one if you lower your standards.“

Tony nodded, appreciating the way Loki spoke to him. As if he were an equal instead of his slave. He hated that something which should be out of question lifted his mood like it did. Anyway, he decided to push his luck. „Where have you been?“ Damn it, his heart shouldn’t pound away like it did just because he was asking a simple question.

Loki’s eyes narrowed, so he quickly added: „No second thoughts,  I’m just super bored.“ The trickster’s face relaxed at that, it was obviously something he could relate to. „A few prisoners escaped.“, he explained. „We were sent out to try and get them back alive.“ The careless way in which he said it made Tony assume that the important part of the mission was to bring them back, not to bring them back alive. He was about to respond with a sarcastic comment, when Loki continued speaking. „One of the guards brought his slave along.“, he murmured, eyes suddenly far away. „A boy, underfed and almost incapable of staying on his feet. He didn't make it back.“

Tony raised his eyebrows a fraction, was that..sympathy? „Wait, does that mean you could’ve brought me along?“, he demanded to know. Loki eyed him while he unlocked his chain and put it into Tony’s own hands, nodding towards the door which led to the bathroom. „You belong with me, yes.“, he said simply. „Which also means you’re under my protection.“

 Tony didn’t have it in him to answer to that amount of hypocrisy.

 

The bathroom was tiny and consisted of a little sink and a hole in the ground.

Tony could hear water flowing under the floor, so at least the waste would be carried away. He opened the tap and drank some water, wincing at the metallic taste but forcing some more down anyway before washing and relieving himself.

There were no towels, so he had now other choice but to put on his clothes while still slightly wet. He wrapped his arms around himself and stumbled back into the room, feeling slightly better. His injuries were nowhere near as bad as he had anticipated, and he remembered the faint green glow from Loki’s..magic? He shuddered. The whole sorcery thing was as interesting as it was scary.

 

Loki raised his head from where he sat on the bed as he entered, frowning at how Tony shivered. „Do not think I’m letting you freeze for no reason.“, he said calmly. „Supplies are rare. I might fetch you another set of clothes once they’re available.“ then he apparently noticed he was being nice, and added: „Should I think you deserve them.“

Tony glared at him.

"Anything you need to know before we leave?"

Tony forced his thoughts away from _if you healed me why can't you dry me_ and hesitated. He really didn't look forward to meeting Thanos. "What am I supposed to call him and you?", he asked, suppressing another shiver.

"I hope you won't have to speak up, but if so, you'll call me Master and him, should he address you, you will call Lord." Loki's eyes searched his and when they met he looked as serious as Tony had never seen him be before. "I repeat, only if he addresses you." Tony nodded, deciding to play along. "Fine."

After a heartbeat, Loki nodded back. "Good." he raised a hand and Tony couldn't stop himself from flinching, but Loki just took the chain, unhooked it from his collar and let it fall to the ground.

"Time to go."


	7. Thanos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanos happens. It doesn't go well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry.

The throne room was ridiculously large. Thanos was awaiting them, his gigantic figure no less towering just because he was sitting down, glancing at them with eyes which Tony didn’t dare to look at, but he had seen a flash of them in his mind twice, once as Loki touched him with the scepter in the tower and the second time when he flew through the portal.

They looked like empty sockets at first glance, but there were two small points of light in them, eerily glowing like the Tesseract and Scepter did.

Tony suddenly felt very, very small and absolutely not brave. He was almost relieved when Loki turned his head a fraction and murmured „Stay behind me“. Then he stepped towards the throne, a huge ugly metal thing which Tony would have joked about if he hadn’t been so creeped out.

Loki got down on one knee and bowed his head, something Tony would _never_ have expected the demigod to do, not ever. It was topped by Loki’s quietly spoken greeting: „My Lord and Commander.“

 _How long did it take them to teach him that?_ ,

he suddenly found himself thinking, and suddenly everything clicked into place. The way Loki looked, spoke and behaved when they were in company compared to when they were alone, the facade he struggled to keep up, the tension, the flinching, everything.

They had tortured Loki into submission, of course they had.

Tony’s mind started racing as he knelt down on both knees and bowed his head even deeper than Loki had, for good measure. He was for once willing to draw as little attention to himself as possible.

He didn’t see Thanos grin, but it could be heard in his voice. „Rise, son of No one.“, he ordered and Tony dared to glance up through his lashes just enough to watch Loki, who looked like he hadn’t expected this. He stood up in a fluent motion however, clasping his hands behind his back.

„I see you have brought your slave.“, Thanos continued. „What did you name him?“

Tony couldn’t see Loki’s face but he was sure that the trickster frowned. „Anthony, Mylord.“ Where was this going? Thanos' amusement became even more obvious. „Anthony“, he said and Tony prayed that he would never again hear his name used by a voice like the mad titan’s -„I want you to rise as well.“

Tony blinked in confusion and complied hesitantly. Hadn’t Loki said that Thanos probably wouldn’t address him at all? What was going on?

Thanos leant back and Tony felt like a weight was placed on his shoulders as those terrifying eyes rested upon him.

„Anthony, I do not want you to hesitate.“ Tony raised his head a little more, ears pricking up. _What is he doing?_ He glanced at Loki, who didn’t move a muscle.

„If I order you to hurt your Master right now, will you do it?“ Thanos leant forward again and looked at him and Tony forgot how to breathe.

„I..“ he swallowed and looked over at Loki again. _The only ones standing above me are The Other and Thanos himself. You will do their bidding without a single sound of protest or sign of hesitation, and you will not look them in the eyes._

„Of course, Mylord.“, he answered quickly, clenching his fists. Loki turned towards him, his eyes slightly widened, before he obviously willed himself to relax. And _then._ Then he raised his arms to his sides, baring his chest in a gesture so submitting that it wasn’t like him at all.

His face was unmoving, carefully schooled into an indifferent expression Tony knew all too well from his own face in the mirror. And Tony stared at him.

Yes, he had wanted to punch Loki ever since he met him for the first time, he’d wanted him to hurt and suffer and _burn_ but now.. it felt wrong.

Loki was apparently reading his face because his eyes narrowed and he hissed: _„Do it!“_ and Tony snapped out of his hesitation, stepped forward and _punched_  him in the face, so hard that pain shot through his arm and his knuckles throbbed.

Loki took a small step backwards and hissed, but looked relatively unfazed. Tony wasn’t weak for a human, but it would probably take a super soldier or Hulk to actually harm the demigod.

When Thanos spoke up again, his voice was dangerously soft. „Took you long enough.“

Tony held his right hand with his left and ran a thumb over his knuckles because damn, he had probably hurt himself more with that hit than he had Loki, who was now snarling at him.

„You useless creature.“, he growled and pointed towards the door. „Go ask a guard to give you a task to do until I come and fetch you.“ Tony raised his eyebrows in disbelief. What the hell? he’d done what he’d been asked, to do, hadn’t he? But Loki kept glaring at him, so he forced out a „Yes, Master.“ and turned to leave.

He didn’t go to a guard however. Instead, he followed the hallway parallel to the throne room, hid in a corner where no one would find him quickly, and searched the wall. _Jackpot_ , he thought when he found a small hole in the thick metal, through which Thanos’ voice could be heard. „Fetch The Other.“ 

Tony held his breath when he heard Loki speak up, he had to concentrate to understand what he was saying. „I apologize, Master.“ Tony frowned. Was his voice trembling? „I did not train him well. I am to be punished.“

And Tony realised in that moment that he had wronged Loki. Again. 

He gritted his teeth and turned his head to peek through the gap. He could see Thanos lean forward with much less amusement on his face than before. „Yes, you will be. You let your slave escape my judgement on purpose, now face the consequences.“

Shame crept onto Tony’s face, colouring his cheeks a darker shade, as he watched Loki be flanked by two guards, his shirt being ripped off him and The Other approaching him, eyeing him shortly before placing a hand between his shoulder blades. Tony turned away horror-stricken, and he started running when Loki began to scream.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo...this is where shit really starts to hit the fan. What the hell is going on? what is Tony going to do? Who knows? Let's find out..


	8. What the hell is going on.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony apparently is an expert in feeling guilty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Life's been keeping me busy.  
> Enjoy!

Tony ran until his body reminded him that he wasn’t a young man with a functional heart anymore. He staggered to a halt, hands on his thighs, panting and wheezing and praying that the black spots in his vision would go away instead of engulfing him.

Breathing hurt more than it usually did and it took him a moment before he managed to raise his head again, feeling dizzy.

Loki had saved him. Loki _kept_ saving him. Tony tried hard to make sense of it, but really there was none. Unless the trickster had decided that they all were doomed and tried to become a better person in the time he had left.

  
Tony noticed that he had drawn attention to himself, several guards were already headed in his direction. He raised his hands defensively and nodded. „I know, I know. Bad slave. I’m headed for, uh, the provision camp. This is it, isn’t it? My Master sent me. And…you all don’t understand a word of what I’m saying, do you. Alright then. Here I go, back to work!“

He turned and went into the shed to his left before they could attack him or whatever, but soon wished he hadn’t.

  
The shed was full of busy slaves, people from all over the world who looked up at him with the same eerily glowing eyes he’d seen on Barton.

For the first time Tony wondered why no one had noticed yet that his eyes were still normal.

He looked around, noticing how little supplies there were. Obviously the Chitauri had destroyed the majority of stocks and warehouses and what little food they brought back would never suffice to keep their prisoners alive, not even half of them. If they didn’t get slaughtered they’d eventually starve, and, _great_ , the bread Loki had brought Tony was another luxury that he had no reason to give him if his motive wasn’t to guilt Tony into doing anything he asked of him.

He needed to talk to the aesir, as soon as possible. If there would be a chance to do so after what had just happened.

Cringing at the memory of the agonized scream the Other had torn from Loki, Tony shook his head and finished looking around the shed. No point in contemplating what he couldn't change.

He froze when his eyes got caught by a figure he’d recognize anywhere. Tall, dark and with an eyepatch covering one of the too blue eyes, Nick Fury stood in front of a shelf, organising packages. At least that was what he was doing before he noticed Tony staring at him.

He froze when the director of SHIELD turned and came towards him, but Fury’s posture was relaxed and less menacing than Tony knew he could be.

„Stark.“, he looked Tony up and down with that creepy eye. „You escaped mind control.“, he observed.

Tony froze as heads started to turn. _So much about them not noticing_.

„You recognise me? Aren’t you supposed to be a mindless slave?“

„Some of us get to keep their independent thinking, because it’s useful.“, Fury replied. „I just didn’t think you’d be one of them.“

„Oh, charming.“, Tony snapped. „I know you didn’t want me on the team, but look at us, the Avengers couldn’t save earth, with or without me.“

„I did want you on the team.“ Fury’s voice had suddenly gone soft, the only thing that could possibly make the whole conversation even weirder. He looked like he was about to add something, but then one of the others chimed in: „He’s right, this one has brown eyes.“

That comment sparked several others and soon the whole room was staring at him, approaching him.

Tony took a step back, feeling uncharacteristically claustrophobic.

„Listen“, he said, „I didn’t mean to offend, for once that is, can’t we settle this peacefully?“

Nobody reacted, they just kept coming closer, crowding him, and Tony flinched as he took another step back and his back hit the wall.

He was reminded of last night’s panic attack and _please, oh please, not again_.

„Guys“, he tried again, „Just listen-„

  
_„Step back, all of you!“_

  
The voice was coming from the door, full of authority, and the crowd fell silent. Tony dared to glance towards the entrance and sure enough, Loki was back.

Relief flooded through him and he wondered when he’d started to associate Loki with safety instead of danger.

„Anthony, I tried to let you keep your free will. That obviously didn’t work out.“

Tony actually flinched at the words, staring at the trickster. What? Loki raised a hand and a blue haze clouded Tony’s vision. „Come with me.“

He gasped, mentally clinging to his mind, desperate to fight back whatever was coming next, but nothing else happened.

He did a double check just to be sure - _All this is wrong, I’m Tony Stark, I'm Iron Man, and I will fight everyone who dared to touch my planet_ -, and then calmed down a notch and assumed that his eyes now looked like everyone else’s, without the side effects.

 _Right. Playing along._ He bowed his head and started walking as the group parted to let him pass.

„Yes, Master.“

  
He kept his gaze down while making his way towards Loki, pushing away the image of how much the raised hand had trembled.

There was something Tony had come to accept: Loki was not in charge, he was a prisoner. Just like him. In fact, his situation was probably much worse than Tony's. And if he had any thoughts on how to get out of this mess, Tony was more than willing to listen.


	9. Unspoken words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> misery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am alive! I'm so, so sorry for staying away this long.

„Another group of prisoners has escaped. I’m leading a search party, and you’re coming with me.“

Nothing in Loki’s voice betrayed what had happened to him in the throne room, and Tony was impressed. He supposed that Thanos was watching Loki somehow, and decided to play the mindless slave as convincingly as possible because.. he didn’t want Loki to get in even more trouble and maybe think twice about Tony’s usefulness to him.

But it was hard, because he had so many questions. What was his role in finding the prisoners? Did they honestly expect him to work with them, against his own kind? Loki must know that he would never do that, so why did he take the risk of bringing Tony along?

Keeping his tongue in check would be challenging to say the least, but while he was ready to talk back at just about any form of authority and damn the consequences, a mad titan who destroyed his entire planet proved to be an exception.

He followed Loki past a group of slaves who were cleaning weapons, and almost paused in his tracks when he spotted Clint Barton. Almost. Clint raised his head from the bloodied blade he was scrubbing, and met Tony’s eyes for a second. 

Loki must have noticed, because his hand landed on Tony’s shoulder. He flinched hard, but Loki responded with a squeeze of his fingers, pushing him along. The iron grip was too strong and fucking hurt, making him grit his teeth until they were out of Clint’s sight and Loki released him. 

The ‚The hell was _that_ for?‘ was already on his tongue but he reminded himself that speaking up was the dumbest thing he could do. Maybe it _would_ be easier if Loki could just take control of him, but still he was grateful that the reactor made it impossible. 

He kept thinking about Clint and the brief moment they had looked at each other. Clint had snapped out of mind control before, surely he or Natasha had found the time to show someone else how it was done? 

The second time Loki’s hand came to rest on his shoulder was when they passed a pile of clothes, all kinds of them, cheap to expensive, extra large to tiny. Shoes, too, scarves and jewelry, watches, glasses…

he realised what this meant with such a sudden clarity his breath caught in his throat. They were _dead_. All the owners of these objects were _dead_ , slaughtered because they were too weak to work. Tony remembered the crying woman with her little child from the day he arrived here and he wanted to throw up. 

Loki was staring straight ahead, so Tony couldn’t make out the look on his face, but the squeeze was gentler this time, like an attempt to comfort him.

Only there was no comfort. He stumbled along next to Loki, and when they arrived at the spot where three Chitauri were waiting for Loki and Tony to join them, Tony noticed they took a longer, less travelled route than they could have, giving Tony time to collect himself and wipe his tears away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters will DEFINITELY get longer again, I just wanted to post something as soon as possible.


	10. A little conversation.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki finds a place where they can talk.

It took no effort to stay quiet this time, on their endless walk through the rock desert. Tony tried to find land marks and keep track of how long they had been walking, but he soon lost his orientation in this never changing landscape.

They might have been walking for half an hour, maybe for six, he honestly couldn’t tell. He simply put one foot in front of the other and tried to make sense of the words the chitauri would utter sometimes.

One quiet, growling sound was made every time they stopped and changed directions, and another snarl Tony soon identified as „The human is too slow“ because it always resulted in being prodded with their weapons or shoved along by Loki.

  
_This is worse than afghanistan._

  
Finally, just as Tony feared his knees would give in any minute, Loki spoke up. Of course Tony understood nothing, except for the snarling noise that might or might not be their word for him. Thankfully Loki turned towards him afterwards and translated.

„We split up. They search the hills over there and you and me take a look at those caves.“

  
Tony followed Loki’s pointing finger to a handful of pitch black holes in the rocks and swallowed. _I really don’t like caves_ , he wanted to say, but he managed to keep his mouth shut. Loki should be proud.

  
He nodded and followed Loki, leaving the chitauri behind.

  
Once they reached the first cave and walked inside, Loki’s entire demeanor changed. He dropped to one knee and placed one hand on the ground, and before Tony could ask what he was doing, a green light appeared between Loki’s fingers, spreading and splitting into fine tendrils that were weaving together and closing the entrance to the cave.

Tony stood glued to the spot and watched in fascination, so busy trying to understand what was happening that he didn’t even panic over being in a dark, small space together with a god who used _magic_ to close _the only exit._

  
The light between Loki’s fingers faded when the wall was complete, but the magic barrier glowed faintly, just like the arc reactor in Tony’s chest.

Tony was about to speak up when Loki gasped and placed his other hand on the floor as well, supporting himself on arms that were shaking.

  
„What the hell, are you alright?“

Tony wanted to slap himself for breaking his silence, but Loki didn’t tell him to shut up. Instead, the god motioned for him to sit down.

„We don’t have much time.“

  
Perplexed, Tony sat.

„What for? What is that glowing shield thing?“

  
„I broke out of the constant surveillance. For now.“ Loki sounded out of breath. „It’s about time for us to have a little conversation.“

  
Tony raised his eyebrows, but then nodded. „Go on.“

  
Loki sighed and ran a hand over his face, clearly struggling to regain his composure.

„Your plan during the invasion wasn’t all that bad. They are all telepathically connected to the mothership, so using the bomb and destroying the mothership wasn’t so far off. But they are also connected to Thanos himself. Even me, but I try to resist.“

  
Suddenly, Tony understood the constant headache Loki seemed to have.

  
„So far you’re the only person I’ve come across on whom mind control simply doesn’t work, and they must not know that.“, Loki continued, fixing him with a piercing stare.

  
So he really was immune against all this. That was..useful. „Why are you telling me this?“, he asked hesitantly.

  
„Because you need to know this before I lose my mind.“

  
Loki turned away from him, and Tony watched his fingers curl into fists. „I hate to rely on you and I couldn’t care less for your pathetic little realm, but I’m not planning to let Thanos take one realm after another.“

  
Tony frowned. Then why did Loki attack earth? „I won’t let him do that either.“, he replied. „Earth might be destroyed, but I’ll do anything to avenge it and make sure that purple-skinned bastard regrets this day forever.“

Were they about to form an alliance? Was this really happening?

  
„The question is how?“, Loki murmured. „They think you’re under control, so that’s an advantage, but it’s not really useful in your current situation.“

  
„Do you know if there’s anything that can defeat him?“, Tony asked, thinking about the tesseract and what a large source of power it was.

  
„Thanos possesses the superhuman physiology of all Eternals, granting him superhuman strength, endurance, reflexes and agility.“, Loki listed. „He’s pretty much invulnerable, he can’t starve, freeze, be poisoned or what-have-you.“ the god pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers again and this time Tony hoped he would fight off whatever caused that headache. „His mind is also invulnerable to most forms of psychic attack. He’s the most powerful telepath I know.“, Loki continued.

  
Tony listened with growing resignation. „But there has to be something.“

  
„Yeah. There is someone who could stop him.“ Loki sounded defeated.

  
„Death herself.“

....

  
What the hell.

„Death.. herself?“, Tony asked in confusion. „Are you shitting me?“

  
„No.“ Loki closed his eyes and leaned with his back against the wall. The barrier flickered. „Did you ever wonder why Thanos does all of this? He’s in love, In love with Death, and trying to impress her.“

  
„….“

 _Whatever,_ Tony decided. _Whatever_. _Nothing surprises me anymore. Death is a person? Okay, fine. fine_.

„So we have to persuade Death herself.“

  
„That’s the general idea. And now stop talking.“ Loki rubbed his temples, and shortly after, the barrier faded to nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't guarantee regular updates, sometimes there'll be a chapter a day or even more - or a week of waiting in between. I'm sorry, I'm a hot mess.


End file.
